Chronicles of My Life
by fLuTe-chan
Summary: [AU] I never believed in angels nor demons... until the day I met them.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Sense**

There is a door.

A huge impressive door with a seal.

Curious with the wordings on it, I lean forward to take a closer look. The wordings looks complicated but I thought I could understand it if not for the layer of dust on it. I reach out my hand instinctively to brush away the dust when the seal all but melted away upon my touch.

I gasped in shock. What have I done?

I have seen enough horror movies to know that behind every closed door lays a secret – a secret that is meant to remain a secret _forever_.

The door reacted before I should.

It creaked open with a rusty touch that totally freaked me out. My heart began pounding so hard against my chest that I thought it was robbing me of my breath, making my knees weak as I eyed the inside with curiosity and fear.

The inside was dark, so dark that I probably couldn't even see my own hands. I faltered a few steps back when a sudden voice jarred me.

"Wait, don't go!"

The next thing I know, I was already on the other side of the door. The creaking of the heavy door behind me closed with a resounding thud before I could stop it. I tried to pull, with all my strength, for at least a gap big enough for me to squeeze through, but the heavy door just won't budge.

Terrified, I leaned against the cold hard door, in hopes that it could at least be some kind of support to my distressed state. I squinted at the darkness before me. The insides felt cold, damp and from the way it smells, it certainly needs some serious hygiene inspection. I could hear water dripping everywhere but oddly enough, not a drop fell on me.

I shuddered and crouched on the ground in fear when the place was suddenly illuminated by orange blaze of firelight. I took a deep breath to calm my confusing mind when I realized it was merely torches of fire from both sides of the wall in front of me. In the lambent glow of the flames, I could clearly see a way ahead.

Determined to get out of this Godforsaken place, I decided to navigate my way out.

The place was a grotto, I realized as I ventured deeper. I came to an abrupt stop when my eyes caught something… or rather, someone… a silhouette seemingly couching on the ground in a distance not quite far from me…

_-Chronicles of My Life-_

I snapped my eyes open at the sound of ambulance sirens wailing past my window. Frowning, I fumbled for my digital alarm clock and glared at it.

4:19AM.

Great. Just great. What a time for me to start my day.

I have less than two hours before my official wake up time and knowing perfectly how my body works, I am sure that I won't be falling asleep until the next hour. To fall sweetly asleep only to be awakened shortly after just isn't the thing for me.

I groaned and kicked my covers away, before I pulled my fluffy Garfield pillow over my head.

Nightmares.


	2. Wish

**Chapter 2: Wish**

A bunch of kids gathered around me at the playground in front of the orphanage.

"Happy birthday to you!"

"Happy birthday to you!"

"Happy birthday to SAKURAA!"

"Happy birthday to YOUUU!"

I smiled and leaned forward, taking a deep breath before Sai stopped me – by giving me a rough slap on the mouth, that is.

I gave him a good frown, indicating that he should start treating me like a lady. After all, I am twenty-one now. A full-grown woman is what I am.

Sai returned my look with a rascal's grin. "Don't you know the rules, woman? You gotta make a wish first!"

Of course I know! I just got too excited that I… forgot. When Sai saw my enlightened look, he removed his hand and poked me in the shoulders. "Make it quick, I'm hungry."

I rolled my eyes with faux irritation. Today is my big day and nothing is going to ruin it, not even a brusque Sai. I clasped my hands together and closed my eyes. Now, what should I wish for this year…? Hmm…

A moment of silence passed before Sai poked me again. "You're taking forever!"

"Shh!" I countered. Another five seconds passed. "Ok, done."

When I opened my eyes, they were all looking at m... the cake with drooling eyes. To end their misery, I cut the cake with amazing speed. I barely took a bite when Sai slapped me again – with his cake.

I fluttered my eyes in surprise.

He laughed.

And boy did he laugh! (which makes me fume all the more!) He laughed so hard that his voice echoed across the silent playground with his tears of laughter. The kids started laughing with him and soon, they were rolling on the ground with laughter. They were stopped short when I retaliated by smashing my cake on Sai, hard on his face. The kids were not spared either. Each and every one of them got their deserving share all over their faces even before they could dodge.

Then, I _laughed_.

And I laughed just like a witch to goad them, Sai especially.

I knew I succeeded when I heard him mutter an expletive. When he wiped the cake out of his eyes and glared at me, I ran. And he sprinted after me. The next hour or so were spent wrestling, laughing and splashing water on each other from the nearby taps.

Nevertheless, it was the happiest moment in my whole twenty one years.

When the kids ran off to play their own, leaving Sai and me alone, we collapsed on the grass on the small hill in front of the playground, facing the dilapidated orphanage-chapel. Exhausted but smiling, we watched the stars with our hands tucked behind our heads when Sai blurted, "It's getting late." and turned to look at me.

I sighed. "Yeah, so?"

"Your mum will be w-"

"She knows I'm with you."

"But-"

"She's not home anyway."

"But-"

"Shut up." I drawled finally, a thread of irritation in my voice I knew Sai would notice.

He did.

Sai and I were orphans. My mother is actually my foster parent who adopted me when I turned twelve. She fed me good, provided fine education and living, and cares for me like my real mother should. At least that that's what I ho... think. To put it simply, she brought me up single-handedly so I guess I should be grateful to her.

My foster mum is a renowned doctor by the name of Haruno Tsubaki. Due to her occupation, we could hardly hold up a decent conversation at home. She is on call twenty four by seven and spends most of her time in the hospital. Our relationship is more of those hi-bye types where we communicate mostly through stick-on notes on the refrigerator.

This often leads me to think, if your patients are more important than me that you don't have the time to bond with me, why bother to adopt me in the first place? At the bottom of my heart, I really wish we could spend some quality time together. As time goes by, my hatred for her job grew. But as fate would have it, I am a medical student.

I am currently third year in medical school of Tokyo Uni. I have the natural talent, or like mother like daughter, they would say.

Sai got very upset with me when I told him I would be enrolling into Harvard medical school three years ago. He got so upset that he had a fierce fight with my mum and me.

Sai thought at first it was my mum who forced me into it. Even so after I assured him that it is my area of interest. He wouldn't talk to me after, no matter how hard I tried to get him to. It wasn't until I found him crying in the woods behind this orphanage that I realized he didn't want me to leave.

Moved by his tears (that was my first and last time I saw him cry), I decided to stay.

Sai is a boy at heart, even now. We were of the same age and we practically grew up together. He was brought into the orphanage when we were seven. The smudged face and rugged oversized clothes made a huge deep impression. He was ostracized and so was I. Him for his overbearing quick temper and me, for my weird outlook.

I have natural pink hair.

People alienated me, thinking I have some sort of weird disease which will affect them somehow. Those who believe in God think I am the work of the Devil, or the Devil's child. Staying near me would mean I will stray them into the hands of evil or some sort.

A load of crap if you ask me.

I eat, talk, walk and sleep like anyone around the world. My annual full body checkup indicates that I am as healthy and _normal_ as any human being should be. In fact, my doctors would tell me that my stamina exceeds most girls on the streets.

Nevertheless, I never got through my functional years of schooling without people pointing fingers at me. Even teachers were constantly nagging at my ears to dye my hair black.

Out of my surprise, my mom stood by me. She never once demanded that I should make my hair 'normal'. She just told me to be myself while she will take care of everything. Come to think of it, I never asked her how she dealt with it. My wide forehead didn't help matters. It made matters worse. I was nicknamed 'Sakura the Wide Forehead Freak'. Perhaps Sai took pity on me and stood by me whenever I was bullied. He accepted me for who I am and our friendship was built from there.

Sai has been to many foster homes. So much so I have lost count. He was always brought back in the end with his foster parents claiming they couldn't handle him. He was nicknamed 'Sai, the Devilish Angel'. As the name implies, the devil of a temper, the angelic of a face.

I remember crying through the night whenever he was picked. But after I got used to the ritual, I simply waited. Come to think of it, whenever he left, he would always say, "I'll be back."

Anyway, one by one, kids around our age got picked and left the home before they were etched into my memory. Then out of everyone's surprise, including mine, I was picked.

Haruno Tsubaki took an instant liking to me and I was brought into her home in no time. Of course, I wasn't exactly Mommy's girl. I ran away a couple of times, in fact a lot of times whenever I missed Sai. After all, we shared a lot of weal and woes together.

We learned to write our names together.

We learned to climb trees together.

We buried our first tooth together.

We stole the obasan's freshly baked cookies together.

We run errands for the Sister together.

We got whacked in our butts together.

We bathed together. (We stopped doing that when we noticed distinct changes between our bodies)

And a lot cart of silly things that would always bring a smile to my face whenever I recalled it.

Sai, as time goes by, has become a reliable brother that I have come to love.

My mom has come to terms with our relationship though she turned down my request to adopt Sai as well. We were allowed to meet whenever we want and Sai could come and go as he pleases to my house. I even gave him a spare key when I got fed up with him breaking my windows whenever I was not fast enough to let him in.

"Oei."

At the voice, I turned to look at the pair of intense brown eyes blankly. Oblivious to me, Sai was studying me with his head propped up by his elbow.

"What?" I yawned.

"What are you thinking of?"

After a moment, I said, "Thank you."

"Huh?"

"I was thinking how to thank you for making tonight possible. I'm very happy tonight."

Sai snorted. "Silly lass. Do we still need such courtesy between us?"

I smiled sheepishly in response.

"I expect mine to be better."

I sweat-dropped. That is just so Sai.

"So what did you wish for?" Sai asked, averting his gaze to the kids playing on the playground.

"I wish that my life would be more… exciting." I admitted with a sigh. There were no secrets between us and I am old enough to understand there is no such thing as 'your wish won't come true if you tell'

"I have such a boring life, Sai." I added lazily when Sai turned to look at me. "Everyday is just so standardized." I continued. "Wake up, go school, lectures, hands-on, go home, sleep…"

Sai just snorted and smiled dryly. Out of my surprise, he kept to his own. Usually, he shoots off right after me and uses sarcasm against my words whenever possible. I guess is because today is my birthday or that he was just as tired as I am.

My bet would be on the latter.

"I'm tired. I want a piggyback." I said, changing the subject. My boring life is one thing. Telling others how boring is my life is another.

Sai turned his face away from me. "No."

"Come on!" I protested, nudging him by the leg.

"No way! You're heavier than a pig!"

I pinched him hard on his cheeks for his snide remarks and he smacked my hands away in response. "That hurts!"

I ignored his complaint and starting shoving him up. "I'm getting this piggyback no matter what!" But I swayed and missed my foot, causing my left elbow to suffer an ugly cut from a broken glass hiding among the grass.

Blood trickled down my elbow instantly, staining the sleeve of my white blouse with red blotches.

"Can you be anymore clumsy?" Sai reproached, helping me up on my feet.

It wasn't really a significant wound. But because Sai sounded so concerned to me, I decided to exaggerate my pain. Oh boy, I can be a bad bad girl at times. Matched with grimace I faked, I started to 'cry'. Sai frowned and he wasn't gentle at all when he took hold of my elbow to study the wound.

His frown deepened.

I snickered. (Inwardly)

"You're the stupidest woman in the world."

Having said that, he hauled me up on his back before I could argue and started down the hill. On his way, he called out to the kids to get them indoors. Then we realized that one of them was missing.

Konohamaru, as the others had informed, was last seen charging for the toilet located at the back of the orphanage a while ago. As that area leads to the woods, we naturally assumed the mischievous boy has perhaps wandered off or some sort. After getting the rest of the kids in and informing the chief Sister about the incident, Sai and I went in search for Konohamaru, the wound on my elbow all but forgotten.

"I knew it!" Sai exclaimed when we saw the toilet area empty. "That brat's in for REAL trouble when I get him!"

He continues his ranting while heading out towards the woods. "Did you see the look on Sister Sophie? Why, I think she looked ready to pass out!"

"Look _who_'s talking…" I said, sarcasm obvious as I rolled my eyes at the same time running to keep up with him. "Konohamaru has only one-tenth of your mischievousness when you were at his age. Ouch!"

Sai suddenly stopped, causing me to bump into his back as I was right behind him. He wheeled around, exasperation etched clearly across his face. His mouth looked ready for defense but a cry stopped him short.

My mind quickly registered that the cry belonged to Konohamaru.

And so did Sai.

"Stay here!" He commanded, and sprinted through the shrubs before I could protest. I glanced around the woods, conjecturing the possible dangers that Konohamaru could encounter when it dawned on me that I was alone.

In the middle of the woods.

At night.

I took a deep breath. "Ookkayy… Haruno Sakura is the bravest girl in the world. (gulp)"

Though I hated the woody silence hanging around my ears now, I quickly backed it up with the fact that I have been here umpteen times. I know the way like the back of my hands! – Though that was some decade ago but hey! The woods couldn't possibly change _that_ much, right? Sai and I often broke the rules and wandered into the woods whenever possible. Our motto then was 'play first, consequences later'

It was here that we feel free.

"Nothing gets me." I muttered, glancing around furtively. "Nothing gets me."

I lifted my gaze to the starry sky to ease off some of my uneasiness. It was a full moon tonight; I didn't realize it until now. The moonlight was bright enough to see everything around me, so it wasn't that bad after all. All I have to do now is to wait for Sai and Konohamaru to meet me.

Seconds felt like minutes, and minutes felt like hours. I started to play with the twigs at my feet and humming random tones to soothe the apprehension when my worst case scenario happened. I heard some rustling somewhere behind me. I whirled around; half expecting it was Sai and Konohamaru. When I saw nothing, my intuition tells me something is wrong.

"What's taking them so long?" I murmured, chewing my lips as I glanced around suspiciously.

"This is not funny!" I called out two seconds after; thinking that perhaps Sai and Konohamaru has decided to play a prank on the birthday girl. After all, what do you expect when you put the pranksters of the century together?

The next thing happened so fast and unexpected that I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. Something, or rather, _someone_, actually whooshed out from one of the shrubs and flew past ABOVE me! I choked on my breath, though my astonished green eyes caught the bloody silhouette from the moonlight.

And if my eyes were REALLY NOT playing tricks on me, I would have thought that the sharp features and raven hair belongs to Uchiha Sasuke, the crush of my life.

"Sasuke-kun?" I muttered in disbelief. Impossible! He wouldn't be here, why would he? My eyes settled on the other side of the woods, where he supposedly landed.

I decided to investigate.

Tree branches scratched at my face. Shrubs grabbed my shoulders, tearing my white blouse and mud tangled around my sneakers, trying to pull me down but I couldn't care less. I pressed forward, panting hard as I tried to get one foot in front of the other.

I need to know what I saw.

Uchiha Sasuke is a very very and when I said very, I meant VERY popular guy in my campus. Not only does he top his classes, he is, in any estimation, a Prince Charming come to life. He is such a celebrity in the campus that he has a fan club and countless websites dedicated solely to him. Framed by a six foot athletic build, he possesses a pair of gorgeous black eyes that can make any girl go gaga just by seeing him. His finely chiseled nose and surprisingly blemish-free face only add to his charming factor, not to say he was really born with the silver spoon. Not much was known about his family though, because his aristocratic aura comes with an air of aloofness. Those who tried to approach him for the sake of knowing him were given the cold treatment. Thus, many of his fan girls, including me, choose to admire him from afar. Odd though, I get this feeling of déjà vu whenever I saw him.

I came to an abrupt stop when I saw the silhouette from earlier ahead. He was standing relatively still with his back facing me.

"Sasuke-kun?" I called out quietly while trying to even my breath, wanting to confirm what I saw. When he did not respond, I took a few quiet steps forward. The figure was holding something in his right hand. As I strained my eyes under the moonlight, I saw that he was holding on to something wet… something dripping with… … … BLOOD.

I froze.

At the same moment, he turned around to face me.

Then my body couldn't move at all. My hands started to tremble at my sides while my eyes widened in absolute shock.

Though he looks exactly like Sasuke-kun, HE is definitely not the Sasuke-kun I know!

His eyes were red.

Bloody red.

And so were the rest of him. He was drenched in so much blood that I thought I was seeing the Devil right before me. Still holding on to what I supposed is a disfigured severed head; he edged closer to me, his crimson eyes piercing right through me.

What has happened? I don't know. What is he going to do to me? I was too afraid to find out. _'Run!'_ I told myself. _'Run or die!'_

To my dismay, Sasuke acted before the message from my brain got to my leg muscles. _'Too late…'_ I realized, as I stared at Sasuke sprinting towards me.

The last reaction before he pounced onto me right before my very eyes was something most girls would do.

I screamed.


End file.
